Before a specific time with "yiqian"

As well as talking about the past in general, you can use 以前 (yǐqián) to talk about things that happened before a specific time.

Structure

Time + 以前， Subj. + Verb + Obj.

Verb + 以前， Subj. + Verb + Obj.

The time can be a specific time, or an action (technically, "when the action was done").

Examples

• 吃饭 以前 ，你 洗手 了 吗？Chī fàn yǐqián, nǐ xǐ shǒu le ma? Before you eat, did you wash your hands?
• 睡觉 以前 ，不要 吃 东西。 Shuìjiào yǐqián, bù yào chī dōngxi. Before you go to bed, don't eat food.
• 两年 以前 ， 你 认识 他 吗？ Liǎngnián yǐqián, nǐ rènshi tā ma? Two years ago did you know him?
• 星期 五 以前 ， 你 要 做 完 这些 工作。Xīngqī wǔ yǐqián, Nǐ yào zuò wán zhèxiē gōngzuò. Before Friday, you need to finish these work.
• 上大学 以前，你 来 过 上海 吗？Shàng dàxué yǐqián, nǐ lái guo shànghǎi ma? Before you went to college, did you come to Shanghai?
• 结婚 以前 ，你 应该 先 买 房子。Jiéhūn yǐqián, nǐ yīnggāi xiān mǎi fángzi. Before getting married, you should first buy the house.
• 二十年 以前，这里 是 一个 小 村子。 Èrshí nián yǐqián, zhè lǐ shì yī gè xiǎo cūnzi. Twenty years ago, it was a small village here.
• 几个月 以前 ，他们 分手 了。Jǐ gè yuè yǐqián, tāmen fēnshǒu le. They broke up a few months ago.
• 毕业 以前，我 要 找到 工作。Bìyè yǐqián, wǒ yào zhǎo dào gōngzuò. I need to find a job before graduation.
• 当 总统 以前，Obama 没有 白头发。Dāng zǒngtǒng yǐqián, Obama méiyǒu bái tóufa. Obama didn't have white hair before he became the president.

See also

• After a specific time
• "Before" in general
• Before and after with "zhiqian" and "zhihou"

Sources and further reading

• Modern Mandarin Chinese Grammar: A Practical Guide (pp. 260-1) →buy
• Boya Chinese Elementary Starter 2 (博雅汉语初经起步篇) (pp. 11-12) →buy